Lobate combustion chamber

ABSTRACT

A combustion chamber for pulsating combustion of a fuel air mixture has at one end an inlet for fuel air mixture and at the opposite end an outlet for gases. The cross section of the chamber at right angles to a line between the inlet and the outlet has a configuration which deviates from the circle due to the fact that the chamber has a number of side chambers. A transverse shield or plate partitions the combustion chamber into a first and a second partition chamber so that a fuel air mixture flowing towards the plate will be guided out into the side chambers and become ignited and will further pass through said side chambers into the second partition chamber.

United tates Patent Olsson LOBATE COMBUSTION CHAMBER 960,130 3/1957 Germany 431/1 [76] Inventor: Karl Borje Olsson, S-270 57, Kivik,

Sweden Primary Examiner-William F. ODea Assistant ExaminerWilliam C. Anderson [22] Flled' 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cushman, Darby and [21] Appl. No.: 346,790 Cushman {301' Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Apr. 4, 1972 Sweden 4294/72 A combustion chamber for pulsating combustion of a fuel air mixture has at one end an inlet for fuel air CCll. 4311/?2 mixture and at the pp end an outlet for gases- [58] Fie'ld 171 The cross section of the chamber at right angles to a 60 39 line between the inlet and the outlet has a configuration which deviates from the circle due to the fact that the chamber has a number of side chambers. A trans- [56] References cued verse shield or plate partitions the combustion cham- UNITED STATES PATENTS her into a first and a second partition chamber so that 2,440,491 4/1948 Schwander 431/171 X a fu l air mixture flowing towards the plate will be 3,005,453 10/ 1961 Salgo et 431/ 1 guided out into the side chambers and become ignited 3,267,986 8/1966 l s and will further pass through said side chambers into 3,606,867 9/1971 Brlffa 31/1 X the Second partition chamber- FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,509,661 12/1967 France 431 1 4 Chums 4 D'awmg 4 (Q I ,12 e9 1s 10 20 y [I I l/A q 2 21. 2 22 2 1 LOBATE COMBUSTION CHAMBER The present invention relates to a combustion chamber, particularly for pulsating combustion of a fuel air mixture, and having a final inlet at one end and an exhaust outlet at the opposite end. Such combustion chambers may be used for heating a flow of water, air, or other fluid in which the chamber is immersed.

The various types of such combustion chambers hitherto known such as in US. Pat. No. 3,267,986 are associated with certain difficulties when it is desired to increase their size because the surface of the inside of the chamber will not increase proportionately in relation to the increase of the volume of the chamber. Due to this fact, the heat load per surface unit on the inside of the combustion chamber will be too great for enabling efficient heat exchange through the chamber wall.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a combustion chamber having a configuration which, upon increase of the volume of the chamber, will result in a smaller increase of the heat load per surface unit in relation to what has hitherto been possible. Furthermore, the invention has for its object to prevent a straight through flow which in certain cases may reduce the efficiency of the combustion chamber.

In a combustion chamber according to the invention, the cross section of the chamber between the inlet and the outlet has a configuration which deviates from the circle due to the fact that the chamber has a number of side chambers, and there is a transverse shield which partitions the combustion chamber into first and second compartments so that a fuel mixture flowing through the inlet into the first compartment will be caused to flow around the shield through the side chambers into the second compartment and hence to the outlet.

Two examples of combustion chambers constructed in accordance with the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is an axial longitudinal section taken on the line ll in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the combustion chamber of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section through another example of combustion chamber having substantially the same axial longitudinal section as in FIG. 1.

The illustrated combustion chamber is at one end provided with an inlet 12 for a fuel air mixture and at the opposite end with an outlet 14 for the combustion exhaust gases. I

A mechanical non-return valve 13 may be provided in a known manner in the inlet. The inlet of the combustion chamber may alternatively, in a manner known per se, be shaped as a so-called dynamic non-return valve. In those cases the combustion chamber may operate with pulsating combustion.

At the connection between the inlet and the combustion chamber 10 there is, in a manner known per se, an ignition device, not shown, such as a glow plug for starting the combustion.

At right angles to the longitudinal direction of the combustion chamber between the inlet and the outlet is a shield which, in the illustrated examples, consists of a plate 16. This plate need not be flat but can be convex in either direction, The important feature is that it prevents straight through-flow to the outlet.

As will be seen from the cross section in FIG. 2, the combustion chamber has a configuration which deviates from the circle and is provided with at least two, in the example shown four, symmetrically positioned lobe like side chambers 18. In FIG. 2 the side walls of the side chambers lie parallel to each other. The outer wall of the side chambers extends as an arch as will be seen from FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. The plate 16 is secured at the transition portions between the side walls of the side chambers.

The shield plate 16 extends partly into each of the side chambers and leaves a through-flow opening 22 between the free end edge 24 of the plate and the outer wall of the side chambers. The plate may be positioned at different heights within the combustion chamber. In the example shown it is at about the middle of the height of the chamber between the inlet and the outlet.

When the fuel air mixture upon continuous operation is flowing from the inlet, it will strike the shield plate 16 and be caused by the plate to flow out into the side chambers 20 upon the combustion of the fuel air mixture. In the side chambers the gases will flow through the respective opening 22 to the outlet. Thus, the shield plate will divide the combustion chamber into a first compartment 26 and a second compartment 28.

The side chambers may have other cross sectional forms than those shown. Accordingly, it may be in some cases advantageous that the side chambers converge outwardly as is shown in FIG. 4 where the cross section form of the side chambers is triangular. The plate is here denoted by the reference numeral 16a, and its edges by 24a.

The examples shown are only prototypes to a combustion chamber which is constructed according to the principles of the invention. Practical tests with these prototypes have, however, shown that the advantages 'ration which deviates from the cross section of the inlet, the chamber having a number of side chambers, wherein a transverse shield-partitions the combustion chamber into first and second compartments so that a fuel mixture flowing through the inlet into the first compartment willbe caused to flow around the shield through its side chambers into the second compartment and thereupon to the outlet.

2. A combustion chamber according to claim 1, in which the shield is a plate secured to the wall of the combustion chamber at a plurality of places for transferring heat to the wall of the combustion chamber.

3. A combustion chamber according to claim 2, in which the shield plate is secured to transition portions of the wall of the combustion chamber between the side chambers.

4. A combustion chamber according to claim 3, in

which the shield extends partly into the side chambers. 

1. A combustion chamber particularly for pulsating combustion of fuel air mixture having at one end an inlet for fuel mixture and at an opposite end an outlet for exhaust gases, wherein the cross section of the chamber between the inlet and the outlet has a configuration which deviates from the cross section of the inlet, the chamber having a number of side chambers, wherein a transverse shield partitions the combustion chamber into first and second compartments so that a fuel mixture flowing through the inlet into the first compartment will be caused to flow around the shield through its side chambers into the second compartment and thereupon to the outlet.
 2. A combustion chamber according to claim 1, in which the shield is a plate secured to the wall of the combustion chamber at a plurality of places for transferring heat to the wall of the combustion chamber.
 3. A combustion chamber according to claim 2, in which the shield plate is secured to transition portions of the wall of the combustion chamber between the side chambers.
 4. A combustion chamber according to claim 3, in which the shield extends partly into the side chambers. 